


Dreaming With Open Eyes

by rusty_armour



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: First Time, M/M, Sleepwalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-16
Updated: 2009-11-16
Packaged: 2017-10-03 03:36:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rusty_armour/pseuds/rusty_armour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Often what is buried in the unconscious doesn't stay that way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreaming With Open Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for impamoudara, who had the winning bid for this fic at the David Hewlett MSF/DWB Charity Auction. Impamoudara asked for a slash story with Major Evan Lorne as the main character. She also requested that the fic have some McKay/Lorne snark and some mention of Lorne's ATA gene. I would like to thank impamoudara for her patience, her wonderful ideas and input, and for making a donation to Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders in the first place.
> 
> © 2009

  


  
Lorne tapped the end of his pencil against his sketch pad as he stared across the field at the rock formation. The team of botanists he’d escorted to M9C-474 was buzzing around him excitedly as they’d discovered four new species of mushroom, one of which closely resembled _Agaricus subrufescens_, but Lorne was sick of sketching fungi and had been happy to focus on something else. He was just debating whether the formation would make a suitable subject for a painting, and if he should take some pictures, when he saw a flash of movement. He squinted and saw what appeared to be the Pegasus equivalent of a hawk flying out from the rocks. Reaching into his tac vest, Lorne pulled out a pair of binoculars.

When Lorne first spotted the hawk, he assumed it had built a nest on a ledge or in a crevice, but he could now see that the opening was wider than he’d expected and he wondered if it could be a cave. Lorne shoved his binoculars into their case and rose quickly to his feet.

“I’m just going to take a look at those rocks,” Lorne said to no one in particular.

Dr. Ash lowered her digital camera. “Shouldn’t someone go with you?”

Lorne smiled at her. “It’s okay. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.” He picked up his P-90 and headed across the field before Ash could stop him. Lorne didn’t know why, but he was drawn to those rocks – and he didn’t think it was because of their aesthetic appeal.

Reaching the cave wasn’t easy. Lorne had to climb over several boulders before he could even get near it. The ground directly outside the cave was rough and uneven, covered by pits and stones. The entrance was narrow and it was a struggle for Lorne to squeeze through. However, once Lorne was through the opening, he found himself in a cavern that was almost spacious in comparison. It was cool and damp inside, and Lorne couldn’t see anything at first. Then a tiny flicker of light caught his eyes. Lorne blinked in surprise and tracked the source.

The light, which was glowing green, was part of a panel attached to the cave wall. Lorne lifted his P-90 to illuminate the panel. The panel’s design and structure were similar to the door panels on Atlantis – only the cave didn’t have any doors. Lorne swept his hand over the panel anyway.

Nothing happened for a second and then a section of the wall dissolved to reveal a room with what looked like a giant telescope.

Lorne stared at the room for a moment and then let out a low whistle. “Now that’s not something you see every day.”

  


  
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“Well, I always thought your hobby was a good thing,” McKay said, “and it seems I was right.”

Sheppard shot McKay a look of disbelief from the pilot seat of the puddlejumper before focusing on the HUD again.

Ronon was obviously skeptical as well as he snickered and shook his head. “You didn’t even know he could paint before today.”

McKay’s chin jerked up defensively. “I did so!” he snapped. “He painted that-that painting of the-the…Hey, is that one chocolate chip?” McKay asked, whipping his head around to Sergeant Mitchell, who had just torn open a power bar.

Looking confused, Mitchell said, “No, peanut butter.”

“Oh.” McKay frowned. “Well, do you have any that are chocolate chip?”

Teyla slapped McKay’s arm. “Rodney, you just had lunch!”

McKay rubbed his arm. “I’d barely finished my sandwich when our resident artist stopped painting long enough to call us from the planet.”

“Yeah, about that,” Lorne said. “I wasn’t painting when I found that place. I was sketching.”

“And the difference would be?” McKay asked.

“Well, one involves a pencil and a sketch pad and the other paint, paint brushes and a canvas,” Lorne said.

McKay rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, Picasso. You were _sketching_ when you noticed the Batcave.”

Sheppard spun around in his chair. “The cave has bats in it? No one told me there were bats. Are we talking big bats, blood-sucking bats…?”

Lorne sighed. “There weren’t any bats. There was just a hawk and it flew away.”

“Like a bat?” Ronon asked, and Teyla kicked his leg.

McKay glared at his team-mates. “It was a Batman reference, people.” When Ronon and Teyla stared at him blankly, McKay said, “The Batcave is Batman’s secret hideout and the place where he keeps all his super cool gadgets.”

Lorne knew he shouldn’t, but he just couldn’t resist. “The Fortress of Solitude is better.”

McKay laughed. “Are you kidding me?” he exclaimed. “All the Fortress of Solitude has is a bunch of crystals.”

Lorne smiled. “That was just in the movie. Besides, those crystals provided information – a bit like the Ancients, wouldn’t you say?”

McKay crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, please. If the Ancients had constructed the Fortress of Solitude, it would have been full of super cool gadgets. They would have also chosen a better location than the Arctic. I mean, who chooses to build a secret hideout in the Arctic?”

“Uh, someone who wants to keep it a secret?” Lorne suggested. “It would be much harder to get to than an underground cave in a major city.”

“I would have thought you’d appreciate Superman’s choice of location,” Sheppard said. “It’s practically in Canada.”

Sheppard’s back was to them, but Lorne was pretty sure he was smirking at McKay all the same.

“Oh, wonderful,” McKay muttered. “Another completely inaccurate stereotype about Canada. For your information, Colonel, Canada is _not_ in the Arctic.”

“No, it’s just directly beneath it,” Lorne said.

McKay’s eyes narrowed. “Well, the States is directly beneath Canada, so what does that make it?”

Teyla cleared her throat loudly. “Am I going to have to separate you two until we reach the planet?” she asked, directing a stern gaze at Lorne and McKay.

Lorne sat up straighter in his chair. “No, ma’am.”

McKay nodded quickly. “We’ll be good, Mommy.”

Ronon grinned at Teyla. “You aren’t going to let Torren get away with anything, are you?”

“No, I will not,” Teyla said.

They managed to reach the planet without further incident, though McKay couldn’t resist humming the Batman theme once he was a safe distance from Teyla. Then he was grumbling and cursing under his breath when they had to start climbing over boulders to reach the cave. However, his mood changed abruptly when he saw the door panel on the cave wall. He pulled out his scanner and took some readings then nodded his head at Sheppard, who had his hand poised above it.

Sheppard swept his hand over the door panel, looking baffled when nothing happened. McKay didn’t hesitate to gloat.

“Yes!” McKay said. “I knew this day would come! I knew one day there’d be some Ancient device that wouldn’t give in to you!”

Sheppard gave him a dirty look. “I’d like to see you do better.”

“Well, I certainly couldn’t do any worse!” McKay motioned Sheppard away from the device. Then he stretched his arms above his head and rotated each shoulder a few times. He had just taken a deep cleansing breath when Ronon lost patience with him and, grabbing his wrist, waved his hand in front of the panel. Nothing happened.

“Looks like you’re a dud too,” Ronon said.

“That-that wasn’t fair!” McKay sputtered. “I wasn’t ready and-and your missing ATA gene must have disrupted—”

Lorne stepped forward and swept his hand in front of the panel, watching the wall dissolve a second time that day.

McKay snapped his fingers and turned to Sheppard excitedly. “The technology must have imprinted on him somehow and will now only recognize his DNA pattern.”

“You mean, like a retinal scan?” Sheppard asked.

“Well, it’s obviously a lot more complicated than that,” McKay said, “but, yes, in a very general sense, that’s how the device appears to work. It must have reverted back to its default setting at some point and was re-initialized when Lorne came into contact with it.”

Sheppard grinned at Lorne. “Cool. You’re the chosen one.”

“Yay,” Lorne said. Then he found himself being shoved against Sheppard as McKay barrelled past.

Sheppard steadied Lorne with a hand and called after McKay. “Rodney, we’ve talked about this!”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry,” McKay said, “but-but look at this place!”

Sheppard sauntered into the room, followed closely by Lorne, Teyla and Ronon. His eyes immediately fell on the huge centerpiece. “Holy freakin’ telescope, Batman!”

McKay raised his index finger. “It may not be a telescope.”

“Well, what else could it be?” Sheppard asked.

“That’s what we’re here to find out.” McKay moved closer to the large piece of equipment, his scanner clutched in his hands. “I wonder if this also needs an ATA gene to be activated,” he murmured to himself. His eyes darted back to his team. “Lorne, get over here.”

“Uh, do I usually take orders from you?” Lorne asked, though he walked over to McKay anyway. “What do you want me to do?”

“This.” McKay grasped Lorne by the sleeve and placed his hand on the machine in front of them, but it didn’t activate.

Lorne yanked his sleeve free. “You’re not Ronon, you know.”

“Obviously.” McKay was scowling at the machine. He moved around it, studying it intensely. “It must have some kind of mental component.” He glanced at Lorne sharply. “You did think ‘on,’ right?”

Lorne rolled his eyes. “I haven’t been able to touch _anything_ in this galaxy without thinking ‘on’.”

McKay’s brow furrowed. “Hmm. Maybe it’s like the Ancient chair.”

Lorne gazed at the machine, his head tilted. “There’s nowhere to sit, Doc,” he said. Then his eyes widened as a long padded bench materialized. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

McKay pushed Lorne to one side and immediately began to investigate this latest development. Lorne yawned and wandered back to the rest of the team.

“That was a lot like the HUD in the puddlejumper,” Sheppard said, nodding at the bench. “I wonder what else it will give you if you ask it nicely?”

“A plan to defeat the Wraith?” Lorne suggested.

There was an excited squeal from McKay, who began waving his arms and snapping his fingers wildly. “Lorne, get back over here. There’s something you need to try.”

Lorne sighed in resignation. “Coming, Doc.”

  


  
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It turned out that the machine wasn’t a telescope, though it was used to gaze up at the stars.

“I think it’s some kind of monitoring device – probably for detecting Wraith ships,” McKay said. “A kind of early warning system.”

Sheppard studied the machine skeptically. “It wouldn’t be able to provide much warning, though, would it?”

McKay smiled smugly. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that, my friend. While you guys were having your little gabfest over in the corner, Lorne spotted a ship that had to be at least 30 or 40,000 light years away.”

Sheppard raised his eyebrows. “30 or 40,000 light years, huh? And how do you know that?”

McKay grew even more self-satisfied. “Because it was the Daedalus and we’re not expecting her to arrive in Atlantis for at least a few hours.”

“I said I _thought_ it might be the Daedalus,” Lorne said. “I’m not absolutely sure.”

McKay waved Lorne’s protests aside with a flick of his hand. “Well, it was a ship that was a great distance away. That’s what’s important.”

“But there are computers on Atlantis that can also detect Wraith ships,” Teyla said. “Why build this-this machine?”

McKay beamed at Teyla. “Yes, I’ve been wondering about that myself and I think I have at least one theory that fits.” He sat down on the bench, his eyes wandering over the machine. “Although the creator of this device had to be familiar with Ancient technology, this doesn’t resemble anything I’ve come across on Atlantis. At a guess, I’d say this was cobbled together using whatever parts were available at the time.” McKay ran his hand over the machine with an almost fond expression. “Maybe it was a scientist who was exiled to the planet – a scientist with radical ideas that weren’t popular with his colleagues back on Atlantis.”

“Someone like Janus, you mean,” Sheppard said.

McKay nodded. “Someone as brilliant as Janus, yes.”

“Okay,” Lorne said, “having an early warning system is great and everything, but what good is it to the guy if he’s stuck on the planet?”

“Perhaps the inhabitants of this planet were able to take shelter somewhere,” Teyla suggested. “We have come across people who have built tunnels and catacombs underground.”

“Caves,” Ronon said. “We’re standing in one right now. There could be others.”

Teyla’s face lit up. “If such caves do exist, they could be invaluable to anyone who lives in this part of the planet.”

McKay glanced up from the machine. “Does M9C-474 even have inhabitants?” he asked.

“There’s a town and some villages about eight miles from here,” Lorne said.

Sheppard gazed at the machine thoughtfully. “If this monitoring system can detect Wraith ships from such vast distances then people would have plenty of time to reach any caves that might be here. Even if they travelled on foot, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

McKay also gave the machine a speculative look. “There would always have to be someone here to man the machine – two or three people at least – and they’d have to possess some form of the ATA gene.”

“And there would have to be someone to alert all the people in the town and villages,” Ronon said.

McKay lifted his chin. “Well, that goes without saying.”

“You could always build a Bat-Signal,” Sheppard said.

“Really?” McKay asked. “Because I could totally do that, you know.”

Sheppard grinned. “I’m sure you could, buddy, but let’s see if we can find any of Ronon’s caves first.”

“Yes, fine. Go, go,” Rodney said, dismissing Sheppard with an impatient gesture. “While you three go off spelunking, Lorne and I will do some real work.”

Lorne winced. “Ah, Doc, you don’t really need me to be here, do you?”

McKay glared at him. “Hello! You’re the only one who can get this thing to work. Until I figure out how to make it respond to other gene carriers, I need you here, Major. Besides, with Weinstein and Mitchell standing guard outside, there should be someone in here with me.”

Lorne nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, okay.”

Sheppard shot Lorne a sympathetic look as he walked out of the room with Teyla and Ronon. “We’ll be back soon. Try not to have too much fun while we’re gone.”

Lorne smiled wryly at his C.O. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, sir.” He looked at McKay, who was rubbing his hands together almost gleefully. _Wonderful_, Lorne thought.

“Now, if you’ll just lay down on the bench again, we can get started,” McKay said.

Lorne didn’t like the bench, or, rather, the eyepiece that swung down on a heavy metal frame and pinned him to the bench. “Why would anyone build a telescope you can’t see through unless you’re lying down?”

McKay moved closer to the bench, standing to Lorne’s right. “It’s not a telescope, and my guess would be to allow room for a larger optical tube and more powerful lens,” he said. “And, yes, before you say it, I know I just named parts of a telescope. I use them for lack of any better terms.”

“Fair enough.” Lorne wriggled a bit, trying to make more space for himself under the frame. He wasn’t usually claustrophobic, but he couldn’t help feeling trapped by the strange device.

“Are you okay?” McKay asked.

_Great_, Lorne thought. He had hoped he was being subtle, but if McKay had noticed that he was squirming then he was definitely being too obvious about it. “I’m fine,” Lorne said. “Just getting a bit more comfortable.”

McKay grimaced. “Yeah, I can’t say I envy you. I think I’d go nuts under there with my claustrophobia.” He reached out to deliver what Lorne assumed was meant to be an encouraging pat on the shoulder, before realizing that the metal frame was in the way. McKay cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, if you’re ready, let’s begin.”

For almost an hour, they experimented with the machine. Lorne found it grew easier to manipulate the controls the longer he gazed through the eyepiece, though all that extreme concentration was beginning to take its toll. He could feel a dull throbbing behind his eyes and knew a headache was coming. He was about to suggest taking a break, when he heard a startled yell from McKay and felt the metal frame vibrate as something struck it.

Lorne called out to McKay and struggled to push against the weight pressing him down. However, before he could free himself from the frame, he found himself facing two men wielding spears. Unable to sit up, Lorne turned his head and saw McKay lying prostrate on the cave floor. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw blood matting McKay’s hair.

“So help me,” Lorne hissed, “if you’ve killed him–”

A spearhead pressed against Lorne’s throat. “Silence. You have already defiled this sacred place with your presence. It should not be further tainted by your prattle.”

_Sacred place?_ Lorne thought. _Prattle?_ “From where I’m lying, you’re the one doing all the prattling.”

The spearhead dug a little deeper into Lorne’s skin.

“Lorne, shut up before you get us both killed,” McKay said from the ground. His voice was muffled and he sounded groggy, but at least he was alive.

“Are you okay?” Lorne asked.

McKay tried to lift his head and groaned. “Oh, yeah. Just peachy.”

“Look,” Lorne said to the men standing over him, “we didn’t realize we were trespassing. If you’ll just lower your weapons, we can talk about this.” When the men didn’t move, Lorne sighed and closed his eyes. “You outnumber us. We’re no threat to–”

The sound of Ronon’s blaster filled the room, and the man holding the spear at Lorne’s throat crumpled to the ground, almost landing on McKay. By the time Lorne was able to shove the metal frame off his chest and sit up, all of the men who had attacked them were lying unconscious around the cave. Lorne slipped off the bench and knelt down beside McKay. Sheppard was already at McKay’s side, helping him sit up.

“What happened?” Sheppard asked.

“I’m not sure,” Lorne said. “I was looking through the eyepiece of the not-telescope when I heard McKay shout and felt something hit the frame I was under.”

McKay touched the back of his head gingerly. “It felt like a rock.”

“It was a rock.” Ronon had picked up a slingshot from one of the unconscious men and held it up before them.

“Oh, great. I wonder how many brain cells that cost me.” McKay tried to stand up, and Sheppard grabbed his arm when he swayed and almost pitched forward again.

“We’ve got to get you back to Atlantis.” Sheppard draped one of McKay’s arms over his shoulders and his own arm around McKay’s waist. “Come on. Let’s go.” As the team made its way out of the cave, Sheppard glanced at Lorne and said, “Do you have any idea why they attacked?”

“They seemed to think we were trespassing, that we had disturbed a sacred place.” Lorne shook his head. “I should have been paying closer attention, sir. If I’d been doing my job properly, they wouldn’t have been able to sneak up on us like that.”

“No, if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine,” Sheppard said. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to assist McKay and protect him at the same time. I should have left the exploring to Teyla and Ronon and stayed behind to watch your backs.”

McKay coughed loudly. “Look, I doubt there’s much either one of you could have done, so can we stop playing the blame game and move past this?” They had just stepped outside, and McKay winced as bright sunlight flooded his vision. “What I’d really like to know is how they managed to get in there in the first place. They shouldn’t have been able to activate the door panel.”

“Ah. I think I can answer that.” Sheppard was smiling sheepishly as he exchanged a look with Teyla and Ronon. “We discovered another door into this place. It’s on the other side of the rocks, which is why we didn’t notice it before. I’m guessing Weinstein and Mitchell didn’t even see those men as I posted them on this side. The other entrance has one of those Ancient devices too, but the device seems to be busted.”

“I’ll fix it later if I haven’t sustained permanent brain damage,” McKay said. Then he shot an apologetic look to Lorne when he saw another flicker of guilt behind his eyes. “Of course, I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably just a little bump.”

Lorne wasn’t convinced. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Well, yes,” McKay said. “Is it working?”

  


  
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After everyone had been cleared from the infirmary following their post-mission exams – with the exception of McKay, who was being kept in for observation – the team gathered in the briefing room.

“We’ll need to establish contact with the town’s authorities,” Woolsey said. “Despite what happened today, I believe it might still be possible to form an alliance with these people.” He leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands on the table. “If Dr. McKay is right about this device, it could be a vital resource for these people and provide us with valuable information about the Ancients.”

“I would advise caution,” Teyla said. “These people believe the cave is sacred and have proven that they will fight to protect it.”

Ronon snorted. “That wasn’t a fight. They attacked McKay and Lorne before they even had a chance to defend themselves.”

Teyla raised an eyebrow. “They may have felt their actions were justified if Dr. McKay and Major Lorne were trespassing.”

Ronon opened his mouth to argue, but Woolsey raised a hand to silence him. “Whether their actions were justified or not is not really the issue here,” Woolsey said, “though obviously we’ll need to be sensitive to their beliefs when we attempt to make contact with them.” He glanced at Sheppard. “Colonel, what are your thoughts on the matter?”

Sheppard slouched a little further back in his chair. “I think Teyla’s right. A team of Marines should accompany whoever goes to the planet. Their weapons may have been low tech, but those men who attacked us shouldn’t be dismissed lightly.”

_Or trusted_, Lorne thought, tuning out the rest of the briefing. As far as he was concerned, any attempt to forge an alliance with these people was pointless. He had dealt with religious fanatics before and they were impossible to reason with. He would be quite happy if he never laid eyes on the planet’s inhabitants, their cave or the Ancient machine again, though he knew that wouldn’t be an option. Until McKay figured out how to get the technology to respond to another gene carrier, he was going to be stuck playing guinea pig.

Lorne became so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn’t realize the meeting was over until he felt Sheppard’s hand on his shoulder and saw that the room had cleared.

“Are you okay?” Sheppard asked. “Because we kind of lost you there.”

Lorne blushed. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to…There’s no excuse for–”

“Look, I don’t care about that,” Sheppard said. “Right now, you’re my only concern. You’ve been quiet and withdrawn since we left the planet. Now, I know things got pretty rough down there, and you’ve been worried about McKay, but we’re all safe now and McKay’s going to be fine.”

Lorne nodded. “I know, sir. I just…I just can’t help feeling responsible for what happened.”

“Well, don’t. I’m ordering you not to.” Sheppard smiled at Lorne, and Lorne felt his own lips twitch in response. “You look beat,” Sheppard said. “Why don’t you knock off early? You could go to the gym, or maybe do some painting, then turn in early and get a good night’s sleep.”

Lorne thought about his sketches of the rock formation and almost shuddered, but a workout sounded appealing. “Thank you, sir. I think I’ll take your advice.”

Sheppard clapped Lorne warmly on the back. “Good. I’m glad to hear it, Major.”

  


  
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“No, no, no, you can’t do that!” McKay said.

Sheppard raised an eyebrow. “Uh, last time I checked, moving the queen from D1 to H5 was a perfectly legal move, Rodney.”

“Shh!” McKay raised a hand and started scanning the chessboard.

Sheppard rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. They had set up the chessboard in the middle of Rodney’s bed in the infirmary and were both sitting on opposite ends of the mattress. Sheppard knew he should probably cut McKay some slack considering that he had a concussion, but that wouldn’t be any fun.

“Yes, all right,” McKay grumbled. “I suppose I can allow your move.”

“How very gracious of you,” Sheppard said, just managing to keep a straight face.

McKay looked up from the chessboard. “If it wasn’t for this concussion, I could totally kick your ass.”

Sheppard laughed. “In your dreams, Rodney!”

McKay glared at him. “You know what? Screw the concussion. I’m going to – Oh, hi, Lorne. You’re just in time to see me wipe the floor with Sheppard.”

Sheppard’s head whipped around in surprise. It was almost 2330 and he’d told Lorne to turn in early. “Major, shouldn’t you have gone to bed by now?”

“I did go to bed,” Lorne said. He was wearing a t-shirt and track pants and seemed more interested in gazing at the far wall of the infirmary than their chessboard.

“Okaaay. Then why are you here? Couldn’t sleep?” He glanced at McKay, wondering if he also thought Lorne was acting strangely, and saw the same expression McKay always had when he’d worked out the solution to a problem: the one which made it look as if a light bulb had lit up in his brain.

“Ah,” McKay said. “It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” He started to rise from the bed, but Sheppard grabbed his wrist.

“Take care of what?” Sheppard asked. “And where do you think you’re going? You have a concussion, remember?”

McKay tried to pull his wrist free. “It will only take a few minutes. I’ll come right back.”

“Come back from where?” Sheppard looked at Lorne and noticed the glazed vacant eyes. “Is he sleepwalking?”

McKay sighed. “Yes, he’s sleepwalking.” He tried to get up a second time, but Sheppard reached out for his wrist again.

“You’re not going to try to wake him, are you?” Sheppard said.

McKay gave an indignant huff. “Of course not. I know better than to wake a sleepwalker. I was going to take him back to his quarters.”

Sheppard shot another glance at Lorne. “Won’t he just wander back out again?”

“Most sleepwalkers will go back to sleep – normal sleep – once they return to their beds.”

“How do you know?” Sheppard said. “What are you? An expert?”

McKay crossed his arms. “Jeannie used to sleepwalk when she was a kid, so, yeah, I have some knowledge on the subject.”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know.” Sheppard picked up a pawn he had captured from McKay and started to fiddle with it. “This will probably sound like a stupid question, but aren’t all sleepwalkers different?”

“No, not really,” McKay said. “Not when it comes down to the basics, anyway. Besides, I know it will work for Lorne. It’s worked before.”

Sheppard dropped the pawn. “What?”

McKay’s eyes widened. “Uh, what I mean is…”

“Lorne has walked in his sleep before?” Sheppard asked. “Since we came in contact with the crystal entity, I mean.”

McKay grimaced. “It’s not a big deal, okay? I’m usually up late, anyway, so if I see him sleepwalking I just take him back to his quarters.”

Sheppard’s eyes narrowed. “And if you’re _not_ around?”

McKay swallowed. “Well, in that case, it’s sometimes Radek or one of the Marines.”

Sheppard grit his teeth. “Am I the only one on Atlantis who didn’t know that my second-in-command has been sleepwalking on a regular basis?”

“Well, I’d hardly call it a ‘regular’ basis,” Rodney said.

Sheppard’s hand came crashing down on the chessboard. “Dammit, Rodney, I should have been told about this! He’s under my command! He’s a trained soldier! If he’d gotten hold of a gun, he could have killed somebody! Hell, he almost killed me when we were dealing with the crystal entity!”

McKay started packing away the chessboard. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you’d overreact.”  
“I’m not overreacting!” Sheppard shouted. “I think my reaction is perfectly reasonable under the circumstances!”

There was a clang of metal, and both Sheppard and McKay jumped before gazing across the infirmary at Lorne, who had accidentally knocked a tray of instruments on the floor.

“Is he still asleep?” Sheppard asked.

“Well, duh,” McKay said. He stood up and this time Sheppard didn’t try to stop him, though Sheppard quickly got to his feet as well. McKay took Lorne gently by the elbow, and Lorne didn’t resist as he was guided from the infirmary.

“You should have told me about this, Rodney,” Sheppard said. “_Lorne_ should have told me about this.”

McKay paused in the corridor. “Lorne couldn’t have told you. He doesn’t know.”

Sheppard’s forehead creased. “What do you mean he doesn’t know? How could he not know?”

Rodney began walking again. “He doesn’t know because we haven’t told him.”

Sheppard grabbed McKay’s arm. “Why the hell didn’t you tell him? Shouldn’t he know? Doesn’t he have a right to know?”

McKay frowned. “We kept it from him for his own good. I figured that if he knew he was sleepwalking again, it would only stress him out and make the situation worse.” When Sheppard stared at him blankly, Rodney said, “Stress is a trigger for sleepwalking, so he’s more likely to keep sleepwalking if he finds out the truth.”

“I think you’d better get your girlfriend to perform an MRI because that’s just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Sheppard reached for Lorne’s other elbow and pulled him away from McKay.

“What are you doing?” McKay asked.

“I’m escorting Lorne to his quarters,” Sheppard said. “_You_ can go back to the infirmary.”

Ignoring the suggestion, McKay trailed behind Sheppard. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

Sheppard glared at McKay over his shoulder. “What do you think?”

If McKay gave any response, Sheppard didn’t hear it as he took off at a brisk pace, literally dragging Lorne along with him. In fact, he didn’t slow down or release Lorne’s arm until they reached Lorne’s quarters. Lorne automatically swiped his hand over the door panel and walked into the room. Sheppard hesitated at the threshold for an instant and then followed Lorne inside.

Sheppard had gotten the impression that Lorne would put himself to bed, but he thought he’d better stick around to make sure. He stood awkwardly to one side as Lorne climbed on to the mattress and burrowed under the covers. As McKay had predicted, Lorne appeared to fall asleep as soon as he was back in his bed. Chances are he would also _remain_ in his bed till morning. All the same, Sheppard sank down in the beat up armchair in the corner of the room and watched Lorne sleep.

  


  
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Sheppard had no memory of falling asleep, but he knew he must have done so when he opened his eyes to find Lorne sitting up in his bed, staring at him. Sheppard wondered if he could trick Lorne into believing it was all a dream if he kept quiet long enough, but Lorne seemed to be fully awake despite his mussed up hair and rumpled t-shirt.

“Good morning, _sir_,” Lorne said.

Sheppard tried to come up with something intelligent to say. “Uh…hi.” He winced inwardly. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.”

Lorne rubbed his eyes. “I have to admit that I’m kind of curious, yeah.”

Sheppard nodded. “I can see why you would be.”

Lorne propped his chin on his hand and looked directly at Sheppard. “I was sleepwalking, wasn’t I?”

“Yes,” Sheppard said. “Yes, you were.”

Lorne sighed wearily. “I’m sorry. It’s the first time this has happened since…Well, since the crystal entity.” He ran a hand across his face. “It won’t happen again, sir.”

Now it was Sheppard who sighed. “I don’t think it’s going to be that simple.” When Lorne stared at him questioningly, Sheppard said, “Last night wasn’t the first time. Rodney has caught you sleepwalking on at least a few occasions.”

Lorne blushed. “Oh. I…I didn’t know.”

Sheppard smiled sympathetically. “Well, it might have helped if someone had told you. I’m telling you now because I think you have a right to know and knowledge is power, right?”

Lorne frowned uncertainly. “I guess so.”

Sheppard leaned forward in the armchair. “Look, I’m not saying this is a problem we can solve overnight, but now that we’re aware of it we can be on the lookout in case it happens again.”

“Uh, sir, I can’t exactly control when I sleepwalk as I’m asleep at the time,” Lorne said.

“No, but we know that stress is a major trigger.” Sheppard rose from the armchair and sat on the foot of Lorne’s bed. “If you find a way to relieve that stress before you go to sleep then maybe it will stop you from sleepwalking.”

Lorne raised an eyebrow. “And how do you suggest I do that, sir?”

Sheppard froze for a second, looking a little like the proverbial deer in headlights. “Oh…well…You could talk to someone. You could, uh, talk to me.”

Lorne’s eyes widened. “Uh, no offence, sir, but you’re not exactly good at handling…emotional stuff.”

Sheppard crossed his arms. “Then I guess it’s just something I’ll have to work on.”

Lorne nodded warily. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Sheppard said. “This is good. You see, I’m getting better at this already.” He stood up and began backing towards the door. “I’m glad we had this talk, Major.”

“Uh, yeah,” Lorne said.

Sheppard was unable to hide his relief when he reached the door. “I should go now. I have to…do things.”

Lorne smothered a laugh. “Thanks for stopping by, Colonel.”

“No problem,” Sheppard said as he bolted from Lorne’s quarters.

  


  
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It had been a long day. To say that the negotiations had gone smoothly would be an exaggeration, but Woolsey had managed to forge a treaty with the Hoovians in the end. It had taken hours, and Sheppard had been amazed by Woolsey’s patience, perseverance, and sheer stubbornness. Sheppard had only needed to address the Elders a few times, but he’d still found the whole process exhausting. When he returned to Atlantis, his only thought was to grab a quick meal and then crash for the night. However, he’d only been asleep for a couple of hours when he heard his door chime. Sitting up with a groan, Sheppard stumbled towards his door, fully prepared to chew out whoever had disturbed his slumber.

“This had better be important,” Sheppard growled as his door swished open. Then he felt his anger fade away when he saw who was standing outside his quarters.

“I don’t sleepwalk,” Lorne said, his words belied by his blank stare and the slow monotone of his voice.

Sheppard’s brow furrowed. “You came here to tell me you don’t sleepwalk while sleepwalking?” When Lorne didn’t answer, Sheppard sighed. “Uh…just wait here a second.” Sheppard rushed back inside his room and grabbed his radio off the bedside table. “Rodney, I need you to come to my quarters.”

There was a slight pause before McKay responded, sounding a little breathless. “Can it wait? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“No, it can’t wait,” Sheppard said. “Get your ass here now.”

McKay arrived at Sheppard’s quarters three minutes later. Sheppard rolled his eyes when he saw that McKay’s hair was a mess and his t-shirt was inside out. McKay glanced from Sheppard to Lorne in confusion. “What is it?”

“He’s sleepwalking again,” Sheppard said.

McKay’s eyes flitted back to Lorne. “And?”

“And what?” Sheppard snapped. “You’re the expert. I want you to fix it.”

“Let me get this straight,” McKay said. “You got me out of bed with my _girlfriend_ because your second-in-command is sleepwalking?” His eyes narrowed. “You told him, didn’t you? You told him after I expressly told you not to.”

Sheppard scowled. “Yes, I told him. Happy now?”

“I was happy about four or five minutes ago,” McKay said. “Now? Not so much.” Seeing the helpless look on Sheppard’s face, he threw up his hands. “I don’t know what you expect me to do. You’re the one who stressed him out by telling him he had started sleepwalking again.”

Sheppard frowned, looking genuinely puzzled. “But I told him it was okay, that he could talk to me if he had any problems.”

McKay snickered. “Yeah, right.”

“No,” Sheppard said. “_Seriously_.”

McKay blinked. “Oh. Wow. Well, maybe when given the choice between sleepwalking and having a stilted and painful heart-to-heart with you, Lorne chose sleepwalking.”

Sheppard glared at McKay. “You know, I could really do with a little less criticism and a lot more help, Rodney.”

“You want my help?” McKay asked. “Well, okay, then.” He reached out to take Lorne’s arm, but Sheppard slapped his hand away.

“No, I don’t want you to walk him back to his quarters: I want you to cure him of this thing,” Sheppard said.

McKay’s eyebrows rose dramatically. “You want me to cure Lorne of sleepwalking?”

Sheppard nodded vigorously. “Yes.”

“Well, I’m sorry, John,” McKay said, “but short of taking him to a sleep clinic I really don’t see what we can do, unless…” He shook his head. “No, you wouldn’t want to do that.”

“Do what?” Sheppard asked.

McKay shook his head again. “No, it’s a stupid idea. Forget I said anything.”

Sheppard grabbed McKay by the shoulders. “_Tell_ me,” he said.

McKay swallowed and shot a nervous look at Lorne. “Well, I was thinking that if you stayed with him, he might be less likely to sleepwalk.”

Sheppard rubbed a hand across his face. “I did that last night and it didn’t work.”

“Yes, but that would have been _after_ Lorne was sleepwalking, and he wouldn’t have known you were there,” McKay said. “What you need to do is be there when he goes to sleep.”

Sheppard grimaced. “Are you suggesting I tuck him in and read him a bedtime story as well?”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” McKay said. “I knew you’d just make fun of the idea.” He turned to walk away, but Sheppard quickly dodged in front of him, blocking his path.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry I made fun of your idea,” Sheppard said. “I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut. Just…just tell me what you think I should do.”

McKay studied Sheppard for a moment before relenting. “Lorne needs to feel safe and secure, so you weren’t too far off the mark when you suggested tucking him in and reading him a bedtime story.”

Sheppard’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right?”

“You could stay with me,” Lorne said. “I’d like that.” He began heading towards his quarters, trailing one hand along the wall as he walked.

Sheppard’s eyes widened. “He didn’t just say that. Tell me he didn’t just say that.”

“He just said that,” McKay said. “You’d better go after him and make sure he gets back to his quarters okay.” He gave Sheppard a helpful shove, backing away quickly when Sheppard wheeled around.

“Why can’t you go?” Sheppard demanded.

McKay waved a hand in the direction of Keller’s quarters. “Jenn might still be awake, which means I could still get lucky.”

“Do you think you could possibly stop thinking about your sex life for more than two minutes?” Sheppard asked.

“I’m a guy, so what do you think?” McKay said. Then he grinned, waved, and rushed back to Keller’s quarters. Heaving a huge sigh, Sheppard took off after Lorne.

Sheppard managed to catch up to Lorne before he reached his quarters. As Lorne didn’t turn to look at him, Sheppard wasn’t sure if Lorne even knew he was there. However, Lorne didn’t protest when Sheppard followed him inside his quarters, so Sheppard assumed he’d been given permission.

To Sheppard’s surprise, he found himself pulling Lorne’s sheets over him after Lorne climbed into bed. Then Sheppard shook his head in resignation and crawled in after him. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” Sheppard said, “but I’m too exhausted to sleep in that chair again.” Lorne had curled up on his side and seemed completely oblivious to Sheppard’s presence. Sheppard turned so that he was facing Lorne’s back. “I hope this won’t be too big a shock for you in the morning.”

  


  
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Sheppard woke to the smell of coffee. He stared blearily at the table beside him, wondering if he was hallucinating when he saw the steaming mug on its surface. He slowly sat up and found himself face to face with Lorne, who was sitting in the armchair with a mug of his own, watching Sheppard in amusement.

“Okay, I was expecting you to deck me, not bring me coffee,” Sheppard said.

Lorne shrugged. “It was a toss-up. I went for coffee in the end because I was craving caffeine more than a bruised fist.”

Sheppard studied Lorne for a few seconds, but was too groggy to figure out whether Lorne was joking or not. He picked up the mug beside him and took a long sip.

“I assume I was sleepwalking again,” Lorne said.

Sheppard placed his mug back on the table. “Yeah.”

Lorne grimaced. “I’m sorry, Colonel,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to happen two nights in a row. You should have just left me outside my quarters. I probably would have put myself back to bed.”

“Yeah, well…” Sheppard yawned, stretched, and reached for his cup of coffee again. “I was talking to Rodney last night and he seemed to think that you might sleep better if there was someone in the room with you.”

Lorne’s forehead furrowed. “To make sure I don’t sleepwalk? Sir, that’s really not–”

Sheppard raised a hand. “Just hear me out, okay? I was thinking that you might be less likely to sleepwalk if you knew someone else was there. You might feel less stressed out and, uh, safer.”

Lorne tensed in the armchair. “I’m a bit old for a teddy bear, sir.”

Sheppard shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t be like that. Think of it as…as a buddy system.” Sheppard tried to smile reassuringly. “Look, we can try it for a few nights and if it doesn’t work we’ll try something else.”

Lorne frowned. “I can’t ask you to do that, sir.”

“Who’s asking?” Sheppard said. “I’m volunteering.” He pulled back the sheets from the bed and stood up. “How about I drop by your quarters with my sleeping-bag around 2300?”

Lorne sighed reluctantly. “You don’t need to bring a sleeping-bag, sir. If you’re going to stay here tonight, you can take the bed and I’ll take the floor.”

  


  
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Sheppard rolled on to his back and stared up at the ceiling. Lorne had been asleep for almost two hours and, based on what McKay had told him, was probably past the point of somnambulism as sleepwalking was supposed to occur before the REM cycle began. However, Sheppard found that his eyes kept popping open and straying to the man in the sleeping-bag. He was beginning to wonder if he should have listened to McKay and minded his own business. From what he could tell, Lorne’s sleepwalking really wasn’t that big a deal. In fact, the only person who seemed to be suffering was Lorne himself, who had been booted out of his own bed and forced to sleep on the floor.

Sheppard yawned. In the morning, he’d tell Lorne that it was a stupid idea to monitor him and apologize for all the grief he’d caused. Maybe if he got off the guy’s back, Lorne would be able to make it through a full night without sleepwalking.

Sheppard had rolled over on his side and was drifting towards sleep, when he heard a rustle from the floor. His eyes flew open and he caught sight of Lorne emerging from his sleeping-bag and rising to his feet. Thinking the lights on, Sheppard threw back his sheets and sprang off the bed. He seized Lorne from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around Lorne’s waist.

“It’s okay,” Sheppard whispered in Lorne’s ear. “You don’t have to go anywhere. You’re safe here. I’ll look after you, Evan.”

When Lorne didn’t struggle, Sheppard started to release his hold on him, only to have Lorne turn in his arms and kiss him. Sheppard froze for an instant and then found himself responding. His hands grasped Lorne’s hips and he pulled Lorne closer. Then Lorne’s tongue was pressing against Sheppard’s lips, and Sheppard opened his mouth, his own tongue twining with Lorne’s. It was only when Sheppard began reaching for the hem of Lorne’s t-shirt that morality kicked in. He broke the kiss and stepped away from Lorne, breathless and trembling.

“This-this isn’t right,” Sheppard said. “I’m taking advantage of you. You…You don’t know what you’re doing.” He hesitated a moment before reaching out to take Lorne’s hand. He led Lorne to his bed, tucking him in once Lorne had stretched out on the mattress. Then he sat down in the armchair, his eyes fixed on Lorne, his mind reeling as he thought about the kiss.

  


  
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“Where did you disappear to last night? When I woke up this morning, you were gone.”

Sheppard glanced up at Lorne from his laptop, trying not to blush. He had left when he had woken up with an erection after a particularly erotic dream involving his second-in-command. But he wasn’t about to tell Lorne that. “I, uh, left when I realized that it was almost morning and you were sleeping okay.”

Lorne gave Sheppard an inquisitive look. “But I was sleepwalking again, wasn’t I? When I woke up, I wasn’t in the sleeping-bag anymore.” He sat down on the corner of Sheppard’s desk. “You’re coming back tonight, right?”

Sheppard started in surprise and his voice was an octave higher in pitch than he would have liked. “You want me to come back?” He cleared his throat and tried again. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Major. I mean, my being there obviously isn’t helping if you’re still sleepwalking.”

Lorne raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a quitter, sir.”

“What?” Sheppard said.

A smile tugged at Lorne’s lips. “It’s only been one night, Colonel. You said it yourself: this isn’t something that can be instantly fixed.”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” Sheppard’s eyes flicked to the blank screen on his monitor. “Maybe you’d be better off finding someone else to help you – someone with more experience with…this kind of thing. Rodney would be a good choice. His sister used to sleepwalk.”

Lorne grimaced. “If McKay tried to help me, I’d sleepwalk for sure – just to get away from him!” He sighed and stared down at his hands. “Sir, if you don’t want to help me anymore just say so. It won’t hurt my feelings.”

“No, it’s not that,” Sheppard said.

“Then what’s the problem?” Lorne asked.

Sheppard tried to think of a suitable excuse and failed, so, in the end, he went with the truth. “There’s no problem.”

“Great. I’ll see you tonight.” Lorne hopped to the floor and left Sheppard’s office. Sheppard stared after him then began banging his head on the desk.

  


  
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“Sir, I was thinking that maybe this would work better if we both slept in the same bed,” Lorne said.

Sheppard almost dropped Lorne’s sleeping-bag. He had announced on his arrival that he would be taking the floor for the night. He had hoped that by positioning the sleeping-bag directly in front of the door, he would be instantly alerted if Lorne started sleepwalking. If Lorne didn’t trip or walk on top of him, Sheppard assumed he’d be woken up when Lorne tried to step over the sleeping-bag. The plan was practically flawless, and Lorne was trying to sabotage it.

Managing to keep his voice steady, Sheppard asked, “What difference does it make whether we both sleep in the bed or not?”

“Well, we’d both be more comfortable for one thing,” Lorne said. He reached out and snatched the sleeping-bag from Sheppard’s hands. “We’re both adults, right? And it isn’t as if we haven’t had to sleep in some pretty tight spaces before. I mean, what harm could it do?”  
Sheppard swallowed uncomfortably. _Oh, if only Lorne knew._ “Look, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll take the sleeping-bag. I, uh, like camping.”

Lorne snorted. “Do you seriously expect me to believe you’d choose a sleeping-bag on the floor over a bed?” He tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. “Unless it’s the company you’re objecting to. Do you have a problem sharing a bed with me, sir?”

“No, of course not,” Sheppard snapped. “I just thought you’d be more comfortable if you didn’t have to share that tiny mattress, that’s all.”

“Oh, I think I’ll manage,” Lorne said, and Sheppard was sure he had to be imagining the twinkle in Lorne’s eyes.

Sheppard was positive that he wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink that night. Once he was under the covers, he lay stiffly beside Lorne, unable to shut down his brain and ease into slumber. That was why he was surprised when he jolted awake just after 0130. Surprise turned to shock when he realized that there was a hand caressing his chest.

“No!” Sheppard shouted, thinking on the lights. Then he grabbed Lorne and shook him. “I know I’m not supposed to do this, but I need you to wake up. Evan, wake up!” Sheppard stared into Lorne’s eyes, desperately searching for any sign of consciousness. What he saw stunned him into silence for almost a full minute. He slowly lowered his hands and said, “You aren’t sleepwalking, are you?”

Lorne took a deep breath, as if gathering his courage. “No, I’m not.”

Sheppard gaped at Lorne in confusion. “Last night you kissed me. Were you awake then too?”

“Yes, sir,” Lorne whispered.

“I don’t believe this,” Sheppard said. “I really don’t believe this.” He jumped off the bed and walked across the room. “Were you ever sleepwalking or was this all some elaborate joke?”

Lorne couldn’t meet Sheppard’s eyes. “That first time in the infirmary was real. I really was sleepwalking then.”

“And then what?” Sheppard demanded. “You thought it would be fun to continue sleepwalking, so you faked it?”

Lorne bit his lip. “It started off as a prank. McKay and I thought it would be funny if I showed up at your quarters and announced that I was sleepwalking while pretending to sleepwalk.”

Sheppard whirled around angrily. “_Rodney_ was in on it?”

Lorne flinched. “We never thought you’d fall for it. We were sure you’d figure it out right away. McKay was genuinely surprised when you called and asked him to come to your quarters.”

Sheppard scowled. “Well, he obviously wasn’t too surprised to play along with your Lady Macbeth act.”

“I know,” Lorne said. “Usually, he’s a terrible liar.” When Sheppard glared at him, Lorne added, “We should have confessed everything to you right away.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Sheppard asked.

Lorne risked taking a peek at Sheppard before lowering his eyes again. “You were so concerned and…and determined to help me. I didn’t have the heart to tell you.”

Sheppard stood at the foot of the bed, his hands on his hips. “And what about the next morning after, or when you pretended to sleepwalk the night after that?”

Lorne winced. “I was embarrassed and chickened out. I tried to talk you out of helping me the next morning, but you just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Then why did you sleepwalk again?” Sheppard cried.

“I, uh, didn’t,” Lorne said. “I was just getting up to go to the bathroom. I didn’t even realize you were awake and I certainly wasn’t expecting you to grab me.”

Sheppard moved closer to the bed. “But you kissed me. Why? Was it a joke? Were you just messing around?”

Lorne shut his eyes. “No, it was real.”

“Then why did you pretend you were asleep?” Sheppard was standing right beside Lorne now, studying him as if he were seeing him for the first time.

“It seemed like the perfect opportunity to see if you might be interested, to, uh, test the waters.” Lorne opened his eyes and dared to look up at Sheppard. “I figured that if you weren’t interested, I could pretend I didn’t remember anything, and you could chalk it all up to the sleepwalking.”

“And if I _were_ interested?” Sheppard asked.

“Well, I was hoping to discover that last night, but you were too much of a gentleman to let things go beyond kissing,” Lorne said.

Sheppard smiled ruefully. “Well, maybe if I’d known you weren’t really sleepwalking, it might have helped. Why didn’t you just say something?”

Lorne stared at Sheppard in disbelief. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’ or the fact that you’re my C.O., or the fear of being transferred or kicked out of the military.”

Sheppard sat down on the edge of the mattress. “That’s bull. You know I couldn’t care less about DADT, and you’d have to do something a lot worse than hit on me before I decided to have you transferred. What’s the real reason, Evan?”

Lorne gazed down at the mattress and muttered something under his breath.

“I’m sorry,” Sheppard said. “What was that?”

Lorne groaned. “I thought you might reject me, all right?”

Sheppard placed his hand over Lorne’s. “And why would you think that?”

Lorne’s eyes widened. “Because…because you’re Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and you could pretty much have anyone you want in the galaxy.”

Sheppard shook his head. “I doubt that,” he said. “Besides, I’m happy with what’s in front of me right now, thank you very much.” He smiled and leaned forward, brushing his lips gently against Lorne’s. “Why don’t we do something radical and try this when we’re both awake?”

Lorne nodded slowly. “That sounds like a plan, sir.”

“John,” Sheppard said.

“John.” Lorne raised his fingers to Sheppard’s cheek, as if to check whether he was really awake and not dreaming. Sheppard curled his own fingers around the back of Lorne’s neck and captured Lorne’s lips with his own.

They were bolder this time. Lorne’s tongue didn’t caress Sheppard’s lips in a silent request for admittance, but charged inside Sheppard’s mouth. Sheppard moaned and sucked on Lorne’s tongue, deepening the kiss. Sheppard’s hands fumbled for the hem of Lorne’s t-shirt and he tugged it halfway up Lorne’s chest, while Lorne’s hands had simply dived under Sheppard’s t-shirt, grazing the muscles in Sheppard’s back. Both men were panting by the time they ended the kiss. Then Sheppard was yanking Lorne’s t-shirt over his head and pushing him down on the bed.

Lorne gasped when Sheppard first bit and then licked his neck. When Sheppard’s lips began to explore Lorne’s collar-bone, Lorne clutched at Sheppard’s back helplessly. He pulled on Sheppard’s t-shirt, and Sheppard stopped nuzzling his collar-bone long enough for Lorne to remove the garment. Lorne instantly ran his fingers through the thick dark hair on Sheppard’s chest. He swept a thumb over one nipple and Sheppard jerked. Lorne grinned and tried to sit up, so that he might have better access to Sheppard’s chest, but Sheppard shoved him back down on the mattress and took one of Lorne’s nipples in his mouth. Lorne’s back arched and he just managed to hold back a whimper. He tried to reach the waistband of Sheppard’s track pants, but it was out of reach. Then, as if reading his mind, Sheppard released the nipple and first drew down Lorne’s track pants and then his own.

Lorne just had time to catch sight of Sheppard’s flushed penis, before Sheppard grasped both of their cocks in his fist and started jacking them off. Lorne’s hips bucked and he grabbed Sheppard’s ass. Sheppard tightened his grip on their cocks and began thrusting his pelvis. Lorne writhed beneath him and, this time, he couldn’t stop himself from whimpering.

Neither of them lasted long. When Lorne came, he threw his head back and shouted his release. Sheppard froze and then shuddered, before falling across Lorne. Lorne stroked Sheppard’s back as they both recovered from the aftershocks of their orgasms.

“Well,” Lorne said, “that beats sleepwalking any day.”

  


  
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Lorne wasn’t entirely surprised to find Sheppard hanging out in McKay’s lab. He was even less surprised to see them engaged in a rather intense match of computer golf. Lorne resisted the urge to raise his eyes to the ceiling in supplication, schooling his face into an expressionless mask instead. As he approached Sheppard, he tried to make his movements seem slow and lethargic. Sheppard was so wrapped up in the game that Lorne almost had to walk in front of the large computer screen before Sheppard noticed him.

“Ah,” Sheppard said. “I think we’re going to have to call it a night, Rodney.” He grasped Lorne’s arm and began to steer him out of the lab. “I’m really sorry about this, but duty calls.”

They had almost reached the door, when Rodney’s voice halted them in their tracks. “If you didn’t want to hang out with me, you could have just said so. You didn’t have to get Lorne to do his sleepwalking routine.”

Sheppard turned around quickly. “It’s not what you think, Rodney.”

McKay raised his chin. “Oh, really? Because from where I’m standing, that’s _exactly_ what it looks like.”

Sheppard shifted guiltily, at a loss for an explanation, and Lorne realized that it would be up to him. He wracked his brain for the right words to say. Then, when he failed, he just spit it out. “John and I are…Well, we’re sort of seeing each other.”

McKay stared at them for several seconds before his lopsided frown transformed into a grin. “I knew it!” he said.

Sheppard snorted. “Yeah, sure you did, Rodney.”

McKay glared at Sheppard. “Well, I was…I was pretty close to guessing!” He started going through the pockets of his uniform and then gave a triumphant cry when he found what he was looking for. “Here! Take these!” he said, shoving five condoms into Sheppard’s hands.

Lorne had to bite his lip to keep from laughing when he saw the horrified expression on Sheppard’s face.

“Don’t…” Sheppard croaked. “Don’t ever do that again.”

McKay was practically beaming now. “It’s okay. I’m dating a doctor, so I’ve got an endless supply of prophylactics.”

Lorne bit his lip even harder and nodded. “Thanks, McKay. We’ll treasure these.”

McKay waved aside Lorne’s gratitude with a broad sweep of his hand. “There’s no need to thank me. Just go forth and have sex.”

Lorne saluted and dragged his shaken lover from the lab.

“That can never happen again,” Sheppard said.

Lorne patted his back reassuringly. “It’s okay. Next time we’ll go directly to Keller, or I’ll just do what I usually do and steal them off the Marines.”

Sheppard had recovered his composure by the time they reached Lorne’s quarters, going so far as to grab a kiss in the corridor. “You know, your sleepwalking might not be such a bad thing after all,” he said. “It could come in handy next time I’m stuck in a really boring meeting. You could show up, and I’d have to leave to escort you back to your quarters.” He waggled his eyebrows. “We could have sex virtually any time we wanted.”

Lorne clasped Sheppard’s hand in his. “At the moment, I’ll settle for right here and now.”

Sheppard looked down at their hands and smiled. “Yeah, me too.”

  



End file.
